<![CDATA[the Sitemap]]>e9484153-b594-5ba8-b648-9fc76bbfc549Mon, 23 Mar 2026 16:49:00 +0000Captivate.fmTallest Tree Digital LLChttps://artwork.captivate.fm/86be3fd9-c320-4176-a57c-0378f7212c3f/the-sitemap.jpgthe SitemapTallest Tree Digital LLCTallest Tree Digital LLCSEO strategy for publishers who care about journalism, not keyword games. Cord Blomquist breaks down entity SEO, Google's Knowledge Graph, and what actually drives traffic for editorial teams — with real data from real news publishers. Weekly episodes cover the intersection of structured data, internal linking, and Google Discover, drawn from hands-on work with publishers producing thousands of articles a year. No fluff, no growth hacks — just what's working right now for mission-driven publishers.https://tallesttree.digital/falseepisodichttps://feeds.captivate.fm/tallesttree/nopodcastGoogle Updates & Search Ranking SystemsGoogle Updates & Search Ranking SystemsSources Cited:


]]>Sources Cited:


]]>157200b8-361b-4f11-b1db-0468b13eb9a4Mon, 02 Jan 2023 17:06:18 -040001:22:18falsefull3030In this episode, Cord and Einar discuss Google's new status dashboard, the December 2022 link spam update, Google's visual guide to search elements, Lily Ray's latest tweet regarding Google updates, and Google's guide to its "search ranking systems."Think Tank Ranking PreviewThink Tank Ranking PreviewIn a short episode, Cord and Einar preview the new and improved Tallest Tree Think Tank Ranking. The new rankings will be automated, updated monthly, and incorporate more data than ever. This includes:


We're now able to pull historical traffic data from Ahrefs, which will give us insights into the last 36 months of performance for each of the 300+ groups in our study. We thank Ahrefs, who reviewed and approved our use of this data, for their support of this project.

We're also working with a new statistician, assistant professor of marketing at Clemson University, Lura Forcum. We're grateful for her insights on the data.

A few trends popped up in data review:

  • About 12% of groups are still dealing with www vs non-www canonical issues
  • Many sites have pop-ups that likely violate Google's Page Experience guidelines
  • We found "spikey" traffic patterns for many groups, especially state-based think tanks, which may be explained by the location from which the traffic data was collected
  • We saw a few sites that relaunched w/o redirects in place, which resulted in their referring domains crashing and large losses in traffic
  • Many groups were affected by recent Google updates
  • Many groups saw growth in referring domains w/o growth in traffic

]]>In a short episode, Cord and Einar preview the new and improved Tallest Tree Think Tank Ranking. The new rankings will be automated, updated monthly, and incorporate more data than ever. This includes:


We're now able to pull historical traffic data from Ahrefs, which will give us insights into the last 36 months of performance for each of the 300+ groups in our study. We thank Ahrefs, who reviewed and approved our use of this data, for their support of this project.

We're also working with a new statistician, assistant professor of marketing at Clemson University, Lura Forcum. We're grateful for her insights on the data.

A few trends popped up in data review:

  • About 12% of groups are still dealing with www vs non-www canonical issues
  • Many sites have pop-ups that likely violate Google's Page Experience guidelines
  • We found "spikey" traffic patterns for many groups, especially state-based think tanks, which may be explained by the location from which the traffic data was collected
  • We saw a few sites that relaunched w/o redirects in place, which resulted in their referring domains crashing and large losses in traffic
  • Many groups were affected by recent Google updates
  • Many groups saw growth in referring domains w/o growth in traffic

]]>98bb367b-d6c5-4860-a739-ce993cd82146Mon, 12 Dec 2022 11:00:00 -040031:45falsefull2929In a short episode, Cord and Einar preview the new and improved Tallest Tree Think Tank Ranking. The new rankings will be automated, updated monthly, and incorporate more data than ever.All About Links: JavaScript, HTTP/HTTPS, Link Rot, Ranking, and Link NetworksAll About Links: JavaScript, HTTP/HTTPS, Link Rot, Ranking, and Link NetworksCord & Einar discuss all things linking. Can JavaScript links pass PageRank? How to HTTP to HTTPS redirects work? Are old links irrelevant? Will links always be a ranking factor? What's a link graph?

Sources Cited:


]]>Cord & Einar discuss all things linking. Can JavaScript links pass PageRank? How to HTTP to HTTPS redirects work? Are old links irrelevant? Will links always be a ranking factor? What's a link graph?

Sources Cited:


]]>728feaf7-0ae5-4e4f-afca-fe198ce0e95eMon, 14 Nov 2022 10:00:00 -040055:39falsefull2727Cord & Einar discuss all things linking. Can JavaScript links pass PageRank? How do HTTP to HTTPS redirects work? Are old links irrelevant? Will links always be a ranking factor? What's a link graph?How we do SEO auditsHow we do SEO auditsIn this episode Cord & Einar discuss the ever-evolving Tallest Tree approach to SEO audits.

Here's the outline Cord & Einar used on the show:

Tools

  • Sitebulb: run both an HTML-only and JavaScript crawl
  • Ahrefs Crawler
  • Ahrefs Site Explorer
  • Ahrefs Chrome extension
  • Google Search Console
  • Chrome Inspector w/Lighthouse
  • Google’s Robots Tester
  • Inspect URL in GSC
  • Schema Validator
  • Merkle’s https://technicalseo.com/tools/
  • The Wayback Machine

First look

  • Explore the site by hand, view source on whatever the half dozen most-used templates seem to be
  • Turn off JavaScript using Chrome extension and review the site again
  • Explore the backend and get some counts on posts, categories, authors, etc.
  • Look at plugins/modules
  • Review Sitebult/Ahrefs crawl results
  • Review Google Search Console

The goal of the first look is form a basic hypothesis about how technical SEO and site structure can be improved. Take screenshots and start making slides right away.

Checklist

  • Review 192 items in 35 categories

Reporting

  • How a search engine works
  • Crawling
  • Indexing
  • Ranking
  • E-A-T
  • Measurement
    • Rank Tracking
    • GTM & GA4 for Traffic  & Conversions
    • Link Growth

  • Google News

]]>In this episode Cord & Einar discuss the ever-evolving Tallest Tree approach to SEO audits.

Here's the outline Cord & Einar used on the show:

Tools

  • Sitebulb: run both an HTML-only and JavaScript crawl
  • Ahrefs Crawler
  • Ahrefs Site Explorer
  • Ahrefs Chrome extension
  • Google Search Console
  • Chrome Inspector w/Lighthouse
  • Google’s Robots Tester
  • Inspect URL in GSC
  • Schema Validator
  • Merkle’s https://technicalseo.com/tools/
  • The Wayback Machine

First look

  • Explore the site by hand, view source on whatever the half dozen most-used templates seem to be
  • Turn off JavaScript using Chrome extension and review the site again
  • Explore the backend and get some counts on posts, categories, authors, etc.
  • Look at plugins/modules
  • Review Sitebult/Ahrefs crawl results
  • Review Google Search Console

The goal of the first look is form a basic hypothesis about how technical SEO and site structure can be improved. Take screenshots and start making slides right away.

Checklist

  • Review 192 items in 35 categories

Reporting

  • How a search engine works
  • Crawling
  • Indexing
  • Ranking
  • E-A-T
  • Measurement
    • Rank Tracking
    • GTM & GA4 for Traffic  & Conversions
    • Link Growth

  • Google News

]]>7c2d65cc-a273-4e31-8620-37ed49095081Mon, 07 Nov 2022 11:00:00 -040001:14:21falsefull2626In this episode Cord & Einar discuss the ever-evolving Tallest Tree approach to SEO audits.A Real "Looker"A Real "Looker"In this episode Cord & Einar discuss Google changing Data Studio to Google Looker Studio, SEO conferences, Kevin Indig's take on the latest Google updates, previously visited sitelink icons, and the trouble with timestamps.

Sources Cited:


]]>In this episode Cord & Einar discuss Google changing Data Studio to Google Looker Studio, SEO conferences, Kevin Indig's take on the latest Google updates, previously visited sitelink icons, and the trouble with timestamps.

Sources Cited:


]]>42bb2d75-25d8-4ab1-8263-62543fb56f89Fri, 14 Oct 2022 19:29:08 -040054:34falsefull2323In this episode Cord & Einar discuss Google changing Data Studio to Google Looker Studio, SEO conferences, Kevin Indig's take on the latest Google updates, previously visited sitelink icons, and the trouble with timestamps.Title Tags, "Link Juice," and the Death of AMPTitle Tags, "Link Juice," and the Death of AMPIn this episode Cord & Einar discuss the title tag length, "link juice," AMP is dead, measuring forms with GA4, how Googlebot handles iframes, and how to think about copies of original content on the web.

Sources Cited:


]]>In this episode Cord & Einar discuss the title tag length, "link juice," AMP is dead, measuring forms with GA4, how Googlebot handles iframes, and how to think about copies of original content on the web.

Sources Cited:


]]>91c630c1-9455-4cea-b16a-cfe895f1882bSun, 09 Oct 2022 16:36:40 -040051:24falsefull2222In this episode Cord & Einar discuss the title tag length, "link juice," AMP is dead, measuring forms with GA4, how Googlebot handles iframes, and how to think about copies of original content on the web.Mobile Search, iOS 14.5 makes the case for SEO, Core Update Winners/LosersMobile Search, iOS 14.5 makes the case for SEO, Core Update Winners/LosersIn this episode Cord & Einar discuss the changes to mobile search, iOS 14.5 makes the case for programmatic SEO, September core update winners/losers, changing URLs, website quality scores, and 4 ways to measure SEO effectiveness.

Sources Cited:


]]>In this episode Cord & Einar discuss the changes to mobile search, iOS 14.5 makes the case for programmatic SEO, September core update winners/losers, changing URLs, website quality scores, and 4 ways to measure SEO effectiveness.

Sources Cited:


]]>7b5e22b7-215d-4fc2-ab11-2bddb377f98eTue, 04 Oct 2022 00:16:43 -040001:00:22falsefull2121In this episode Cord & Einar discuss the changes to mobile search, iOS 14.5 makes the case for programmatic SEO, September core update winners/losers, changing URLs, website quality scores, and 4 ways to measure SEO effectiveness.Helpful Content AI, Exploring GSC Reports, & Yoast ErrorsHelpful Content AI, Exploring GSC Reports, & Yoast ErrorsIn this episode Cord & Einar discuss the Google September Core Update and how we can measure the effect it's had on website combined with the Helpful Content. We also talk about GSC reports and a fatal error caused by a Yoast plugin update.

Sources Cited:


]]>In this episode Cord & Einar discuss the Google September Core Update and how we can measure the effect it's had on website combined with the Helpful Content. We also talk about GSC reports and a fatal error caused by a Yoast plugin update.

Sources Cited:


]]>0f2931ef-02da-445f-806d-7ba69a5e2d5cMon, 26 Sep 2022 19:44:58 -040046:21falsefull2020In this episode Cord & Einar discuss the Google September Core Update and how we can measure the effect it's had on website combined with the Helpful Content. We also talk about GSC reports and a fatal error caused by a Yoast plugin update."Helpful Content" Revisited, Core Web Vitals, Crawl Budget"Helpful Content" Revisited, Core Web Vitals, Crawl BudgetWhy is the "Helpful Content" not very helpful so far? We also discuss new reporting for Core Web Vitals, the worst SEO advice, open-sourcing Yoast schema, and Google's "Search Off The Record" podcast's recent statements on crawl budget.

Sources cited:


]]>Why is the "Helpful Content" not very helpful so far? We also discuss new reporting for Core Web Vitals, the worst SEO advice, open-sourcing Yoast schema, and Google's "Search Off The Record" podcast's recent statements on crawl budget.

Sources cited:


]]>94a39c5d-5a1e-4a53-89de-73046c2f09c3Wed, 07 Sep 2022 18:57:15 -040043:25falsefull1717Why is the "Helpful Content" not very helpful so far? We also discuss new reporting for Core Web Vitals, the worst SEO advice, open-sourcing Yoast schema, and Google's "Search Off The Record" podcast's recent statements on crawl budget.Missing Data, MUM Consensus, Old Events, and Robots.txtMissing Data, MUM Consensus, Old Events, and Robots.txtWhere has Google's data gone? How to "align with consensus" according to the QRG. What Google says you should do with old events (probably delete them), and our thoughts about robots.txt.

Sources Cited:
https://pca.st/episode/2cc8cdde-b00a-4da7-8c9f-c4b79845ede0
https://searchengineland.com/google-consensus-qrg-seo-387142
https://www.seroundtable.com/google-seo-old-event-pages-33847.html
https://developers.google.com/search/docs/advanced/robots/robots_txt

]]>Where has Google's data gone? How to "align with consensus" according to the QRG. What Google says you should do with old events (probably delete them), and our thoughts about robots.txt.

Sources Cited:
https://pca.st/episode/2cc8cdde-b00a-4da7-8c9f-c4b79845ede0
https://searchengineland.com/google-consensus-qrg-seo-387142
https://www.seroundtable.com/google-seo-old-event-pages-33847.html
https://developers.google.com/search/docs/advanced/robots/robots_txt

]]>fb52a740-0434-4f91-a54c-1133ff7b5e52Sat, 20 Aug 2022 02:16:30 -040047:33falsefull1515Where has Google's data gone? How to "align with consensus" according to the QRG. What Google says you should do with old events (probably delete them), and our thoughts about robots.txt.Colby Pastre & Kevin Kaufman, Tax FoundationColby Pastre & Kevin Kaufman, Tax FoundationColby Pastre and Kevin Kaufman join me to talk about how the Tax Foundation uses simple content like an annual tax bracket page to generate over 23 million pageviews a year!

We talk shop about internal linking, first-move advantage, crawling your own site, using search console, and keyword research tools to maintain your site's edge. 

We wrapped up our conversation with some practical advice on E-A-T, structured data, and overall site structure.

Colby and Kevin are great  practitioners of a solid SEO strategy. I hope to have them back as guests soon.

]]>Colby Pastre and Kevin Kaufman join me to talk about how the Tax Foundation uses simple content like an annual tax bracket page to generate over 23 million pageviews a year!

We talk shop about internal linking, first-move advantage, crawling your own site, using search console, and keyword research tools to maintain your site's edge. 

We wrapped up our conversation with some practical advice on E-A-T, structured data, and overall site structure.

Colby and Kevin are great  practitioners of a solid SEO strategy. I hope to have them back as guests soon.

]]>46e21581-4bd2-4d5c-8e9b-b57f3e17fe95Thu, 24 Mar 2022 13:00:00 -040044:54falsefull1414Colby Pastre and Kevin Kaufman join me to talk about how the Tax Foundation uses simple content like an annual tax bracket page to generate over 23 million pageviews a year!What the Iowa Caucus App Can Teach UsWhat the Iowa Caucus App Can Teach UsFive questions we ask each prospective client:

  1. Why now? What's motivating you to do this now and not six months from now?
  2. Why us? Why not someone cheaper?
  3. Why not use something off-the-shelf?
  4. Why not handle this in-house?
  5. Why even bother? Wouldn’t it be cheaper to do nothing?

]]>Five questions we ask each prospective client:

  1. Why now? What's motivating you to do this now and not six months from now?
  2. Why us? Why not someone cheaper?
  3. Why not use something off-the-shelf?
  4. Why not handle this in-house?
  5. Why even bother? Wouldn’t it be cheaper to do nothing?

]]>c58c25f0-4aea-4535-95de-a9844143ca45Wed, 12 Feb 2020 15:46:34 -040030:49falsefull1212Cord & Einar walk through all the failure points of the Iowa Caucus app disaster and then talk about how answering some very simple, but important questions at the outset of a project can avoid this sort of embarrassing and costly failure.Homepage DesignHomepage DesignWhat makes a good homepage design?

We talk about the Nielsen/Norman Group's "4 Credibility Factors"
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/trustworthy-design/

How can you incorporate these factors into your homepage?

  1. Design quality
  2. Upfront disclosure
  3. Comprehensive, correct, and current content
  4. Connection to the rest of the web

How should you guide users?

  1. Primary & secondary calls to action
  2. Provide more ways to engage, like social following
  3. Use current user data to promote your most popular content upfront

]]>What makes a good homepage design?

We talk about the Nielsen/Norman Group's "4 Credibility Factors"
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/trustworthy-design/

How can you incorporate these factors into your homepage?

  1. Design quality
  2. Upfront disclosure
  3. Comprehensive, correct, and current content
  4. Connection to the rest of the web

How should you guide users?

  1. Primary & secondary calls to action
  2. Provide more ways to engage, like social following
  3. Use current user data to promote your most popular content upfront

]]>f315b29e-e6c0-43b7-93cd-c34abbf6f547Sat, 25 Jan 2020 04:38:42 -040034:42falsefull1010Einar and Cord discuss establishing credibility through good design, upfront disclosure, correct current content, and connection to the rest of the web. We then talk about guiding users down typical user paths or toward actions you want them to take.50 Pieces of Content a Week50 Pieces of Content a WeekHow does primary content gets broken down into micro content? That micro content essentially serves as ads on social media platforms that point back to your primary content. We talk about the role of tertiary content—the long-form posts we write that few people read—and why it shouldn't be viewed as primary. I go into an example of my in-laws' bookstore, which has taken this model and seen great success as a local business. Even though this is outside of our client base, it's a really easy example to grasp and it shows that you don't need much in the way of original content to draw people to your website and achieve your goals. Our "50 Pieces of Content a Week" goal is a little weak compared to Gary Vee's 64 piece a day prescription, but we think this is more manageable for small and mid-sized organizations. 

]]>How does primary content gets broken down into micro content? That micro content essentially serves as ads on social media platforms that point back to your primary content. We talk about the role of tertiary content—the long-form posts we write that few people read—and why it shouldn't be viewed as primary. I go into an example of my in-laws' bookstore, which has taken this model and seen great success as a local business. Even though this is outside of our client base, it's a really easy example to grasp and it shows that you don't need much in the way of original content to draw people to your website and achieve your goals. Our "50 Pieces of Content a Week" goal is a little weak compared to Gary Vee's 64 piece a day prescription, but we think this is more manageable for small and mid-sized organizations. 

]]>8247d788-5af6-489b-b1b1-dc2c3fbd404eThu, 16 Jan 2020 18:48:19 -040046:39falsefull99Einar and I talk about our approach to the Gary Vee content model—the inverted pyramid approach to creating a ton of content and distributing in every way you can.Menus & NavigationMenus & NavigationSearch Engine Journal

https://www.searchenginejournal.com/technical-seo/website-navigation/#close

Users come first: Your website navigation should satisfy users first. Then, optimize your navigation for SEO performance. Never compromise the user experience.

Orbit Media

https://www.orbitmedia.com/blog/website-navigation/

Be descriptive

“What we do” doesn’t actually say what you do. Neither does “Products,” “Services” or “Solutions.” Descriptive navigation that uses keyphrases is better for two reasons. Here’s where SEO and conversions come in.

Descriptive labels in your navigation are good for search engines and visitors
 

Avoid format-based navigation

Navigation labels such as “videos,” “photos” and “white papers” tell visitors the format of the content, but not the topic. People don’t go to websites looking for videos or whitepapers. They visit websites looking for answers and information.

Nielsen Norman Group recommends against using format-based navigation.

Avoid dropdown menus

Usability studies show that dropdown menus are annoying. Here’s why: visitors move their eyes much faster than they move their mouse. When they move their mouse to a menu item, they’ve likely already decided to click… and then you gave them more options. It’s a hiccup in the mind of the visitor.

Depending on how they’re programmed, they may lead to problems with search engines.

But the research shows that one type of drop down menu performs well in usability studies: The “mega drop down.” These offer lots of options, making that moment of friction worth it.

The order of your website navigation is important

  • Primacy effect: Items at the beginning of a list are more easily remembered.
  • Recency effect: Items at the end of a list (or things that just happened) are more easily remembered.

How to optimize your website’s navigation

Here are some examples of decisions you might make based on your analysis from these reports.

  • Remove items that rarely get clicked, if they aren’t critical
  • Rename or relabel that rarely get clicked, if they are important
  • Move items that often get clicked to the beginning

Website navigation on mobile devices

Adding the word “menu” may help visitors find this type of “hidden” navigation. The Nielsen Norman Group warns that hidden navigation increases task completion time for visitors.

Quantum Dynamix

https://www.quantumdynamix.net/blog/improve-websites-navigation-9-best-practices/

ALWAYS MAKE IT CLEAR WHERE THE USER IS LOCATED.

There are bread crumbs at the top of the page’s content showing each of the following pages that led to this page. You can click on any of these breadcrumbs to go back to a previous page.

Search Engine Journal

https://www.searchenginejournal.com/technical-seo/website-navigation/#close

  • Cross-linking between content silos: Content relevancy between pages is important for ranking, which comes naturally in a well-categorized, hierarchical site architecture. However, this can have limitations when it lacks cross-linking between content silos where some pages are just too deep or too far away from receiving a good amount of link juice from other sources.
  • Blogs to products, products to blogs: Create high-quality content that is helpful and relevant to your target audience. If these blog posts help in a product buying decision, then link to the blog post from the specific product page(s).
  • Tracking parameters: Avoid using them; use the onClick event handler on links for tracking purposes. It is always safe to have a self-referencing canonical tag.
  • JavaScript links: Avoid using JavaScript to write content and links. If there is no way around it, there are methods to make it work.

]]>Search Engine Journal

https://www.searchenginejournal.com/technical-seo/website-navigation/#close

Users come first: Your website navigation should satisfy users first. Then, optimize your navigation for SEO performance. Never compromise the user experience.

Orbit Media

https://www.orbitmedia.com/blog/website-navigation/

Be descriptive

“What we do” doesn’t actually say what you do. Neither does “Products,” “Services” or “Solutions.” Descriptive navigation that uses keyphrases is better for two reasons. Here’s where SEO and conversions come in.

Descriptive labels in your navigation are good for search engines and visitors
 

Avoid format-based navigation

Navigation labels such as “videos,” “photos” and “white papers” tell visitors the format of the content, but not the topic. People don’t go to websites looking for videos or whitepapers. They visit websites looking for answers and information.

Nielsen Norman Group recommends against using format-based navigation.

Avoid dropdown menus

Usability studies show that dropdown menus are annoying. Here’s why: visitors move their eyes much faster than they move their mouse. When they move their mouse to a menu item, they’ve likely already decided to click… and then you gave them more options. It’s a hiccup in the mind of the visitor.

Depending on how they’re programmed, they may lead to problems with search engines.

But the research shows that one type of drop down menu performs well in usability studies: The “mega drop down.” These offer lots of options, making that moment of friction worth it.

The order of your website navigation is important

  • Primacy effect: Items at the beginning of a list are more easily remembered.
  • Recency effect: Items at the end of a list (or things that just happened) are more easily remembered.

How to optimize your website’s navigation

Here are some examples of decisions you might make based on your analysis from these reports.

  • Remove items that rarely get clicked, if they aren’t critical
  • Rename or relabel that rarely get clicked, if they are important
  • Move items that often get clicked to the beginning

Website navigation on mobile devices

Adding the word “menu” may help visitors find this type of “hidden” navigation. The Nielsen Norman Group warns that hidden navigation increases task completion time for visitors.

Quantum Dynamix

https://www.quantumdynamix.net/blog/improve-websites-navigation-9-best-practices/

ALWAYS MAKE IT CLEAR WHERE THE USER IS LOCATED.

There are bread crumbs at the top of the page’s content showing each of the following pages that led to this page. You can click on any of these breadcrumbs to go back to a previous page.

Search Engine Journal

https://www.searchenginejournal.com/technical-seo/website-navigation/#close

  • Cross-linking between content silos: Content relevancy between pages is important for ranking, which comes naturally in a well-categorized, hierarchical site architecture. However, this can have limitations when it lacks cross-linking between content silos where some pages are just too deep or too far away from receiving a good amount of link juice from other sources.
  • Blogs to products, products to blogs: Create high-quality content that is helpful and relevant to your target audience. If these blog posts help in a product buying decision, then link to the blog post from the specific product page(s).
  • Tracking parameters: Avoid using them; use the onClick event handler on links for tracking purposes. It is always safe to have a self-referencing canonical tag.
  • JavaScript links: Avoid using JavaScript to write content and links. If there is no way around it, there are methods to make it work.

]]>0ed8b016-96e9-4d3a-8f57-d908f3e3d129Tue, 14 Jan 2020 20:35:00 -040040:46falsefull88Cord and Einar talk about website menus and navigation. What are best practices in 2020 for structuring this basic, fundamental part of your website? What jobs do menus do and what are they really not good at doing?RoadmappingRoadmapping
  • Why did we choose roadmapping as a new approach?
  • How are we addressing the problems of our former approach?
  • How does roadmapping help clients?
    • Get the diagnosis right
    • Less committment
    • Start projects with confidence
    • Create a portable plan of action

  • Common objections to roadmapping
    • Why pay when I can get an estimate for free?
    • I know what I need, just built it.
    • What am I really getting for this price?

  • Who is the ideal client for roadmapping? And for Tallest Tree in specific?

    • ]]>
  • Why did we choose roadmapping as a new approach?
  • How are we addressing the problems of our former approach?
  • How does roadmapping help clients?
    • Get the diagnosis right
    • Less committment
    • Start projects with confidence
    • Create a portable plan of action

  • Common objections to roadmapping
    • Why pay when I can get an estimate for free?
    • I know what I need, just built it.
    • What am I really getting for this price?

  • Who is the ideal client for roadmapping? And for Tallest Tree in specific?

    • ]]>    975ce9d0-6bbb-4295-9b61-e6c001696f58Wed, 01 Jan 2020 14:00:26 -040036:58falsefull77Cord Blomquist and Einar Jóhannsson of Tallest Tree digital discuss how they used to work with clients and how roadmapping has replaced free estimates and improved both the result they get for their clients and their peace of mind.    Brian Phillips, Texas Public Policy FoundationBrian Phillips, Texas Public Policy FoundationThis week Cord interviewed Brian Phillips, the Vice President for Communications at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Cord & Brian discussed launching a policy tour of Texas, integrating polling into your organization, and how TPPF took on a recent property tax reform effort.

    Policy Tour

    • Bringing political campaign experience to the policy world
    • How TPPF took its show on the road and toured Texas with policy experts.
    • Getting local or state press to cover events focused on policy
    • How TPPF chooses a venue, format, and subject for each of its policy tour stops
    • Inviting a state rep to these stops to increase audience engagement
    • Streaming events live
    • Limiting analysts to only three slides for their presentations
    • Critiquing presentations after the facts and continuously improving
    • How to plan a tour like this
    • Managing town-hall-style presentations
    • Money, manpower, and message
    • Offering an exclusive to local papers
    • Using polling to measure the effectiveness of the tour

    Polling & Messaging

    • Writing poll questions that tell you something useful, rather than confirming your priors
    • Digging into polling cross tabs to find out where an issue is resonating or with what group of people
    • Integrating polling and messaging into your organization
    • Using Facebook for quick-and-dirty message testing
    • Selling policy experts on changing messaging by using data

    Property Tax Reform Campaign

    • Policy issue campaigns are all about following the issue, reacting to news, and nuturing the messaging along the way
    • Phases: public education, creating activitists, mobilizing activitists
    • Polling helped to establish the "intensity" of this issue for voters
    • Polling also showed that any reform needed to result in lower taxes, not just slowed tax growth or a different arrangement
    • Creating a property tax calculator that would show voters their tax bill for the next 10 years
    • Crafting poll questions to get real data, not just virtue signaling
    • How releasing the results of a poll shifted the nature of the property tax reform plan
    • Getting started with polling by using it on an issue where you're simply stuck

    Brian's book recommendation: Damage Control (Revised & Updated): The Essential Lessons of Crisis Management by Eric Dezenhall.

    Brian shouts-out Illinois Policy Institutes's news-focused approach to policy and the Foundation for Government Accountability's communication's team as great examples of successes in marketing good public policy.

    Brian also advocated trying new things, even if those things are only new to you. R&D can mean "rip-off and duplicate."

    Parting wisdom: there's no such thing as "the general public." You must have an audience in mind with everything you write or create.

    Please remember to rate and review this show on Apple Podcasts, follow Tallest Tree Digital on Twitter, like our page on Facebook, and share this show with other public policy marketing and communications professionals like you.

    ]]>    This week Cord interviewed Brian Phillips, the Vice President for Communications at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Cord & Brian discussed launching a policy tour of Texas, integrating polling into your organization, and how TPPF took on a recent property tax reform effort.

    Policy Tour

    • Bringing political campaign experience to the policy world
    • How TPPF took its show on the road and toured Texas with policy experts.
    • Getting local or state press to cover events focused on policy
    • How TPPF chooses a venue, format, and subject for each of its policy tour stops
    • Inviting a state rep to these stops to increase audience engagement
    • Streaming events live
    • Limiting analysts to only three slides for their presentations
    • Critiquing presentations after the facts and continuously improving
    • How to plan a tour like this
    • Managing town-hall-style presentations
    • Money, manpower, and message
    • Offering an exclusive to local papers
    • Using polling to measure the effectiveness of the tour

    Polling & Messaging

    • Writing poll questions that tell you something useful, rather than confirming your priors
    • Digging into polling cross tabs to find out where an issue is resonating or with what group of people
    • Integrating polling and messaging into your organization
    • Using Facebook for quick-and-dirty message testing
    • Selling policy experts on changing messaging by using data

    Property Tax Reform Campaign

    • Policy issue campaigns are all about following the issue, reacting to news, and nuturing the messaging along the way
    • Phases: public education, creating activitists, mobilizing activitists
    • Polling helped to establish the "intensity" of this issue for voters
    • Polling also showed that any reform needed to result in lower taxes, not just slowed tax growth or a different arrangement
    • Creating a property tax calculator that would show voters their tax bill for the next 10 years
    • Crafting poll questions to get real data, not just virtue signaling
    • How releasing the results of a poll shifted the nature of the property tax reform plan
    • Getting started with polling by using it on an issue where you're simply stuck

    Brian's book recommendation: Damage Control (Revised & Updated): The Essential Lessons of Crisis Management by Eric Dezenhall.

    Brian shouts-out Illinois Policy Institutes's news-focused approach to policy and the Foundation for Government Accountability's communication's team as great examples of successes in marketing good public policy.

    Brian also advocated trying new things, even if those things are only new to you. R&D can mean "rip-off and duplicate."

    Parting wisdom: there's no such thing as "the general public." You must have an audience in mind with everything you write or create.

    Please remember to rate and review this show on Apple Podcasts, follow Tallest Tree Digital on Twitter, like our page on Facebook, and share this show with other public policy marketing and communications professionals like you.

    ]]>    f5dbe9cc-eb15-4977-b09c-30bb71f4c1a5Mon, 19 Aug 2019 01:15:55 -040001:15:59falsefull66Taking policy experts on tour, integrating polling and messaging into a policy-focused group, and using that knowledge in the Texas property tax debate.    Todd Myers, Washington Policy CenterTodd Myers, Washington Policy CenterThis week Cord interviewed Todd Myers, Director of the Center for the Environment at Washington Policy Center. He is one of the nation's leading experts on free-market environmental policy and the author of Eco-Fads: How the Rise of Trendy Environmentalism Is Harming the Environment.

    Cord & Todd talked about:

    • How to establish trust when working on a fraught issue
    • Overcoming biases
    • Working in a policy area that’s not easily quantified
    • Using smartphones to solve coordinated action problems
    • Find the right venue or audience for the issue you’re addressing
    • Making a frenemy into an ambassador
    • Challenging claims about your motivations
    • When to use consultants
    • Finding success on Facebook
    • The importance of experimentation
    • Working with unlikely allies
    • Hosting a policy nature hike
    • Holding a debate instead of a one-side forum

    Todd's book recommendation was Brian Caplan’s The Myth of the Rational Voter.

    Please remember to rate and review this show on Apple Podcasts, follow Tallest Tree Digital on Twitter, like our page on Facebook, and share this show with other public policy marketing and communications professionals like you.

    ]]>    This week Cord interviewed Todd Myers, Director of the Center for the Environment at Washington Policy Center. He is one of the nation's leading experts on free-market environmental policy and the author of Eco-Fads: How the Rise of Trendy Environmentalism Is Harming the Environment.

    Cord & Todd talked about:

    • How to establish trust when working on a fraught issue
    • Overcoming biases
    • Working in a policy area that’s not easily quantified
    • Using smartphones to solve coordinated action problems
    • Find the right venue or audience for the issue you’re addressing
    • Making a frenemy into an ambassador
    • Challenging claims about your motivations
    • When to use consultants
    • Finding success on Facebook
    • The importance of experimentation
    • Working with unlikely allies
    • Hosting a policy nature hike
    • Holding a debate instead of a one-side forum

    Todd's book recommendation was Brian Caplan’s The Myth of the Rational Voter.

    Please remember to rate and review this show on Apple Podcasts, follow Tallest Tree Digital on Twitter, like our page on Facebook, and share this show with other public policy marketing and communications professionals like you.

    ]]>    eaae791b-aa1f-4a11-85f2-ad35baf17cd4Mon, 05 Aug 2019 10:00:03 -040055:05falsefull44Making a frenemy into an ambassador, when to seek out consultants, success on Facebook, working with unlikely allies, the effectiveness of debates.    Rob Montz, We the Internet TVRob Montz, We the Internet TVRob Montz is a director at We the Internet TV, a fellow at the Moving Picture Institute, and co-founder and CEO of Good Kid Productions.

    Rob's work has been featured in the New York Times, BBC World News, the Economist, USA Today, and The Washington Post. His documentary works have covered topics including free speech on college campuses, the North Korean regime, criminal justice reform, and the virtues of entrepreneurship.

    His latest docs are Trump as Destiny: Why the Reality Show Presidency Was Inevitable, and Is Instagram Destroying Teenage Girls?

    Hosted by Cord Blomquist of Tallest Tree Digital.

    ]]>    Rob Montz is a director at We the Internet TV, a fellow at the Moving Picture Institute, and co-founder and CEO of Good Kid Productions.

    Rob's work has been featured in the New York Times, BBC World News, the Economist, USA Today, and The Washington Post. His documentary works have covered topics including free speech on college campuses, the North Korean regime, criminal justice reform, and the virtues of entrepreneurship.

    His latest docs are Trump as Destiny: Why the Reality Show Presidency Was Inevitable, and Is Instagram Destroying Teenage Girls?

    Hosted by Cord Blomquist of Tallest Tree Digital.

    ]]>    82180c44-d37d-437f-8e23-12ef75e2acf6Mon, 22 Jul 2019 10:00:25 -040043:13falsefull22Rob Montz is the director of short-form documentaries such as the "Silence U" series about free speech on college campuses, produced for We the People TV.    Scott Barton, Pacific Legal FoundationScott Barton, Pacific Legal FoundationScott Barton is a nonprofit leader focused on digital communications, strategy, persuasion, and building entrepreneurial teams, which makes him a perfect guest for our show.

    While working at the Institute for Humane Studies, a university-based nonprofit, Scott co-founded and directed the Learn Liberty project, a digital education platform to promote the ideas of free markets and individual liberty to college students.

    Scott helped Learn Liberty build an impressive library of over 400 videos with over 25 million views.

    Scott has recently taken his talents to a new home, the Pacific Legal Foundation, where he serves as the Director of Communications and Outreach.

    Scott talked to Cord about how organizations can tell persuasive stories about their ideas, mission, and work.

    ]]>    Scott Barton is a nonprofit leader focused on digital communications, strategy, persuasion, and building entrepreneurial teams, which makes him a perfect guest for our show.

    While working at the Institute for Humane Studies, a university-based nonprofit, Scott co-founded and directed the Learn Liberty project, a digital education platform to promote the ideas of free markets and individual liberty to college students.

    Scott helped Learn Liberty build an impressive library of over 400 videos with over 25 million views.

    Scott has recently taken his talents to a new home, the Pacific Legal Foundation, where he serves as the Director of Communications and Outreach.

    Scott talked to Cord about how organizations can tell persuasive stories about their ideas, mission, and work.

    ]]>    9276a3c0-e1b4-486e-a12e-56ef4a7bfa42Mon, 15 Jul 2019 17:04:24 -040044:51falsefull11Scott Barton helped build Learn Liberty into an impressive library of more than 400 videos with over 25 million views.